Microsoft introduced the Security Center with XP Service Pack 2. It allows you to manage all security¬related settings such as the firewall, automatic updates or your installed virus scanner, all in one place. Users who feel they are protected by the Security Center will see they're not as soon as the first warning balloon appears, saying your PC might be exposed. It's pretty obvious that it is, if no virus scanner has been installed, and Microsoft doesn't provide one.

One of the top-rated anti-virus programs is Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0, which offers good protection from all kinds of malware, including viruses, worms, trojans, adware and spyware. To obtain a similar level of protection with freeware, you can use a combination of Antivir and Windows Defender, for example. Note that the free version of Antivir doesn't offer protection from adware and spyware. These parasites now pose as great a threat as viruses, so you really do need protection against them. Freeware utilities Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy will keep your PC free of spyware.

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